Prisons in Europe 2005-2015 Volume 1
Marcelo F. Aebi Léa Berger-Kolopp Christine Burkhardt
Mélanie M. Tiago
Lausanne, 30 June 2018 – Updated on 29 November 2018
This study has been written by Marcelo F. Aebi, Léa Berger-Kolopp, Christine Burkhardt, and Mélanie M. Tiago on behalf of the Council for Penological Cooperation (PC-CP) of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.
The study has been prepared under a contract
N° 264/2016 (Research projects based on SPACE I and SPACE II)with the Action against Crime Department, Information Society and Action against Crime Directorate, DGI - Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe. It has also received support from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Country based information on penal institutions and prison populations was collected through questionnaires sent to the Prison Administrations of the member States of the Council of Europe. The information collected was analysed by the authors of this study. In addition, during the preparation of the study, three validation procedures were applied: internal, cross- national and peer-review.
The responsibility for the content of this study lies with the authors, and the content does not represent the views of the Council of Europe; nor is the PC-CP responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
Suggested citation [APA norms]:
Aebi, M.F., Berger-Kolopp, L., Burkhardt, C. & Tiago, M.M. (2018). Prisons in Europe 2005- 2015. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
© Council of Europe & University of Lausanne, 2018
Reproduction is authorised, except for commercial purposes, provided that the source is
acknowledged.
Index
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ... 6
PRISON POPULATION RATE ... 6
FLOW OF ENTRIES ... 6
FLOW OF RELEASES ... 6
AVERAGE LENGTH OF IMPRISONMENT BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DAYS SPENT IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS ... 7
AVERAGE LENGTH OF IMPRISONMENT BASED ON THE STOCK AND FLOW OF ENTRIES IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS ... 7
PRISON DENSITY... 8
NUMBER OF PLACES IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS ... 8
NUMBER OF INMATES ... 8
NUMBER OF STAFF ... 9
NUMBER OF CUSTODIAL STAFF ... 9
PERCENTAGE OF FEMALE INMATES IN THE PRISON POPULATION ... 9
PERCENTAGE OF FOREIGN INMATES IN THE PRISON POPULATION ... 10
PERCENTAGE OF INMATES WITHOUT A FINAL SENTENCE ... 10
PERCENTAGE OF FOREIGN INMATES IN PRE-TRIAL DETENTION ... 10
PART 1.INTRODUCTION ... 17
AIM OF THE STUDY ... 18
STRUCTURE OF THIS PUBLICATION ... 18
HISTORY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE ANNUAL PENAL STATISTICS (SPACE) ... 18
DEFINITIONS ... 19
METHODOLOGY ... 24
DATA COLLECTION ... 24
DATA COMPARABILITY ... 26
PERSONS INCLUDED IN THE PRISON POPULATION ... 26
DATE OF REFERENCE FOR STOCK DATA (1STSEPTEMBER) ... 28
TERRITORIAL COVERAGE: ... 28
CAPACITY OF PENAL INSTITUTIONS:DISCLAIMER ... 29
DOES THE CAPACITY OF PENAL INSTITUTION ALLOW INMATES TO BE ACCOMMODATED DURING THE NIGHT IN INDIVIDUAL CELLS? . 29 HOW THE CAPACITY OF PENAL INSTITUTIONS IS CALCULATED? ... 29
DISTINCTION BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS FOR PRE-TRIAL DETAINEES AND SENTENCED PRISONERS ... 30
PRIVATE FACILITIES ... 31
INSTITUTIONS FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS... 31
STAFF ... 31
MAIN OFFENCE OF SENTENCED PRISONERS ... 31
FLOW OF ENTRIES INTO PENAL INSTITUTIONS ... 32
DEATHS IN PRISON ... 32
PART 2.COMPARATIVE INDICATORS OF THE PRISON POPULATIONS IN EUROPE ... 33
TABLE 2.1.PRISON POPULATION RATES ON 1STSEPTEMBER 2015 ... 35
TABLE 2.2.FLOW OF ENTRIES INTO PENAL INSTITUTIONS IN 2014 ... 36
TABLE 2.3.FLOW OF RELEASES FROM PENAL INSTITUTIONS IN 2014 ... 37
TABLE 2.4.AVERAGE LENGTH OF IMPRISONMENT (EXPRESSED IN MONTHS) IN 2014:ESTIMATION BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DAYS SPENT IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS IN 2014 ... 38
TABLE 2.5.AVERAGE LENGTH OF IMPRISONMENT (EXPRESSED IN MONTHS) IN 2014:ESTIMATION BASED ON THE STOCK ON 1ST SEPTEMBER 2015 AND THE FLOW OF ENTRIES IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS IN 2014 ... 39
TABLE 2.6.PRISON DENSITY PER 100 PLACES ON 1STSEPTEMBER 2015 ... 40
TABLE 2.7.MEDIAN AGE OF THE PRISON POPULATION ON 1STSEPTEMBER 2015... 41
TABLE 2.8.PERCENTAGE OF FEMALE INMATES IN THE PRISON POPULATION ON 1STSEPTEMBER 2015 ... 42
TABLE 2.9.PERCENTAGE OF PRE-TRIAL DETAINEES AMONG FOREIGN INMATES ON 1STSEPTEMBER 2015 ... 43
TABLE 2.14.PERCENTAGE OF SUICIDES IN PRE-TRIAL DETENTION AMONG INMATES WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE IN 2014... 48
TABLE 2.15.RATIO OF INMATES PER ONE MEMBER OF STAFF ON 1STSEPTEMBER 2015 ... 49
TABLE 2.16.PERCENTAGE OF CUSTODIAL STAFF IN THE TOTAL STAFF ON 1STSEPTEMBER 2015 ... 50
TABLE 2.17.AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT PER DAY FOR THE DETENTION ON ONE INMATE IN 2014(EXPRESSED IN EURO) ... 51
PART 3:COUNTRY PROFILES ... 53
ALBANIA ... 55
ANDORRA ... 62
ARMENIA ... 68
AUSTRIA ... 74
AZERBAIJAN ... 80
BELGIUM ... 86
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA:REPUBLIKA SRPSKA ... 92
BULGARIA ... 98
CROATIA ... 104
CYPRUS ... 110
CZECH REPUBLIC ... 116
DENMARK ... 123
ESTONIA ... 130
FINLAND ... 136
FRANCE ... 142
GEORGIA ... 148
GERMANY ... 155
GREECE ... 161
HUNGARY ... 167
ICELAND ... 173
IRELAND ... 179
ITALY ... 186
LATVIA ... 193
LIECHTENSTEIN ... 200
LITHUANIA ... 206
LUXEMBOURG ... 213
MALTA ... 219
MOLDOVA ... 225
MONACO ... 232
MONTENEGRO ... 238
NETHERLANDS ... 244
NORWAY ... 250
POLAND ... 257
PORTUGAL ... 264
ROMANIA ... 270
RUSSIAN FEDERATION ... 276
SAN MARINO ... 283
SERBIA ... 289
SLOVAK REPUBLIC ... 296
SLOVENIA ... 302
SPAIN ... 308
SPAIN:CATALONIA ... 314
SPAIN:STATE ADMINISTRATION ... 320
SWEDEN ... 326
SWITZERLAND ... 333
THE FYROMACEDONIA ... 339
TURKEY ... 345
UK:ENGLAND &WALES ... 351
UK:NORTHERN IRELAND ... 358
UK:SCOTLAND ... 364
UKRAINE ... 371
Executive Summary
This publication presents data on prison populations across Europe from 2005 to 2015.
The trends shown by the main indicators included in the study are the following:
Prison population rate
- The prison population rate increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (Catalonia), The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England &Wales, UK:
Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The prison population rate decreased in the following countries: Austria, Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), and Sweden.
- The prison population rate remained stable in Switzerland.
Flow of entries
- The flow of entries increased in the following countries: Belgium, Republika Srpska, Hungary, Ireland, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), and Turkey.
- The flow of entries decreased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, UK: England &Wales, UK:
Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The flow of entries remained stable in the following countries: Cyprus, France, and Portugal
Flow of releases
- The flow of releases increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Moldova, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Spain (Catalonia), The FYRO Macedonia, and Turkey.
- The flow of releases decreased in the following countries: Armenia, Austria, Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Italy,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Spain (total), Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, UK: Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The flow of releases remained stable in the following countries: Denmark, Portugal, Russian Federation, Serbia, and Spain (State Administration).
Average length of imprisonment based on the total number of days spent in penal institutions
- The average length of imprisonment based on the total number of days spent in penal institutions increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Republika Srpska, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England &Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The average length of imprisonment based on the total number of days spent in penal institutions decreased in the following countries: Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), and Sweden.
- The average length of imprisonment based on the total number of days spent in penal institutions remained stable in the following countries: Belgium, Finland, Monaco, and Spain (Catalonia).
Average length of imprisonment based on the stock and flow of entries in penal institutions
- The average length of imprisonment based on the stock and flow on entries in penal institutions increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England &Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The average length of imprisonment based on the stock and flow on entries in penal institutions decreased in the following countries: Republika Srpska, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), and Sweden.
- The average length of imprisonment based on the stock and flow on entries in penal institutions remained stable in the Russian Federation, Serbia, and Spain (Catalonia).
Prison density
- The prison density increased in the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, and UK: England &Wales.
- The prison density decreased in the following countries: Andorra, Austria, Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Sweden, and UK: Scotland.
- The prison density remained stable in the following countries: Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, and UK: Northern Ireland.
Number of places in penal institutions
- The total number of places in penal institutions increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England &Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, and UK:
Scotland.
- The total number of places in penal institutions decreased in the following countries:
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, and Sweden.
- The total number of places in penal institutions remained stable in the following countries:
Lithuania, Monaco, Portugal, and Serbia.
Number of inmates
- The total number of inmates increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England &Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The total number of inmates decreased in the following countries: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.
- The total number of inmates remained stable in Lithuania.
Number of staff
- The total number of staff increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republika Srpska, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Sweden, Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, and UK: Scotland.
- The total number of staff decreased in the following countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Russian Federation, UK: England &Wales, and UK: Northern Ireland.
- The total number of staff remained stable in the following countries: Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Portugal, and San Marino.
Number of custodial staff
- The total number of custodial staff increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, and UK: Scotland.
- The total number of custodial staff decreased in the following countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, UK: England &Wales, and UK: Northern Ireland.
Percentage of female inmates in the prison population
- The percentage of female inmates increased in the following countries: Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, UK:
Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The percentage of female inmates decreased in the following countries: Albania, Denmark, France, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and UK: England &Wales.
- The percentage of female inmates remained stable in the following countries: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Norway, San Marino, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Switzerland, and The FYRO Macedonia.
Percentage of foreign inmates in the prison population
- The percentage of foreign inmates in the prison population increased in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain (Catalonia), Sweden, The FYRO Macedonia, UK: Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The percentage of foreign inmates in the prison population decreased in the following countries: Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), Turkey, and UK: England &Wales.
- The percentage of foreign inmates in the prison population remained stable in the following countries: Ireland, Italy, San Marino, Serbia, and Switzerland.
Percentage of inmates without a final sentence
- The percentage of inmates without a final sentence increased in the following countries:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
- The percentage of inmates without a final sentence decreased in the following countries:
Belgium, Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK:
England &Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, and UK: Scotland.
- The percentage of inmates without a final sentence remained stable in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
Percentage of foreign inmates in pre-trial detention
- The percentage of foreign inmates in pre-trial detention increased in the following countries:
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Republika Srpska, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany,
Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Romania, Serbia, and UK: Northern Ireland.
- The percentage of foreign inmates in pre-trial detention decreased in the following countries:
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK:
England &Wales, and UK: Scotland.
- The percentage of foreign inmates in pre-trial detention remained stable in San Marino.
These results can be summarized in the form of a Table as follows:
Indicator Increase Decrease Stable Not available
Prison population rate
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (Catalonia), The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England
&Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
Austria, BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), Sweden.
Switzerland.
Flow of entries
Belgium, BiH: Republika Srpska, Hungary, Ireland, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Turkey.
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, UK:
England &Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, UK: Scotland.
Cyprus, France, Portugal. Armenia, Estonia, Greece, Montenegro.
Flow of releases
Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Moldova, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Spain (Catalonia), The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey.
Armenia, Austria, BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain (total), UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
Denmark, Portugal, Russian Federation, Serbia, Spain (State Administration).
Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Switzerland, UK: England &Wales.
Indicator Increase Decrease Stable Not available
Average length of
imprisonment based on the total number of days spent in penal institutions
Albania, Andorra, Austria, BiH:
Republika Srpska, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), Sweden.
Belgium, Finland, Monaco, Spain (Catalonia).
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, UK: England
&Wales.
Average length of
imprisonment based on the stock an flow of entries in penal institutions
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England
&Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
BiH: Republika Srpska, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), Sweden.
Russian Federation, Serbia, Spain (Catalonia).
Armenia, Estonia, Greece, Montenegro.
Prison density
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England &Wales.
Andorra, Austria, BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State
Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, UK: Northern Ireland.
Montenegro.
Indicator Increase Decrease Stable Not available
Number of places in penal institutions
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State
Administration), Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England
&Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Sweden.
Lithuania, Monaco,
Portugal, Serbia. Montenegro.
Number of inmates
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State
Administration), Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England
&Wales, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden.
Lithuania.
Number of staff
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, BiH: Republika Srpska, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State
Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein,
Netherlands, Russian Federation, UK:
England &Wales, UK: Northern Ireland.
Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Portugal, San Marino.
Belgium, Montenegro.
Indicator Increase Decrease Stable Not available Administration), Sweden, Switzerland,
The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK:
Scotland.
Number of custodial staff among the total number of staff
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: Scotland.
Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, UK: England
&Wales, UK: Northern Ireland.
Belgium, Greece, Montenegro, Spain (Catalonia).
Percentage of female inmates in the prison population
Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
Albania, Denmark, France, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, UK: England
&Wales.
BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Norway, San Marino, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State Administration), Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia.
Percentage of foreign inmates in the prison population
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (State Administration), Turkey, UK:
Ireland, Italy, San Marino,
Serbia, Switzerland. Montenegro.
Indicator Increase Decrease Stable Not available Macedonia, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
Percentage of inmates without final sentence
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK: Scotland.
Belgium, BiH: Republika Srpska, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State
Administration), The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England &Wales, UK:
Northern Ireland.
Austria, Germany, Switzerland.
Montenegro.
Percentage of foreign inmates in pre-trial detention
Albania, Andorra, Ausria, Azerbaijan, BiH: Republika Srpska, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Romania, Serbia, UK: Northern Ireland, UK:
Scotland.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain (total), Spain (Catalonia), Spain (State
Administration), Switzerland, The FYRO Macedonia, Turkey, UK: England
&Wales.
San Marino.
Armenia, France, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Sweden.
Part 1. Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Aim of the study
Every year, the publication of the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE) attracts the attention of both policy makers and the press, who comment about the relative position of each country according to the different indicators included in the SPACE I report on prison populations in Europe (e.g. prison population rate, percentage of pre-trial detainees, or overcrowding). However, it is risky to draw conclusions or search insight for effective criminal policies on the basis of the time-specific situation in a given year, or on the changes observed from one year to the other. For example, a sudden decrease in the prison population of one country may not reflect an actual change in their criminal policy, but a punctual amnesty. This issue can be solved, or at least partially solved, through the use of time series that include information on the evolution of the main prison indicators across a relatively long period of time. In order to establish such a series, the Council of Europe and the European Union co- financed the current research within the general framework of the SPACE project. Hence, this study aims to provide a reliable series of 10 years of data (2005 to 2015) for the main indicators of the state of prisons in the 47 member States, which comprise 52 Prison Administrations, of the Council of Europe. The goal is to promote a better comprehension of the trends in the prison populations across Europe.
Structure of this publication
This publication is divided in four parts. The introduction presents the history of the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics, the definitions used in this study and its methodology. The second part presents seventeen comparative indicators of the prison population in Europe.
The third part includes a country profile for each Penal Administration of the Council of Europe. The fourth part includes the data collected for this research and is presented in a separate document, which constitutes the Volume 2 of the study.
History of the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE)
The Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics were created by the Council of Europe in 1983.
Pierre V. Tournier (currently Research director at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS, France) was in charge until 2001. Since 2002, they have been placed under the responsibility of Marcelo F. Aebi (Professor of Criminology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland).
From 1984 to 2006, they were published in the Prison Information Bulletin (that in 1992 became the Penological Information Bulletin and was discontinued after 2006) of the Council of Europe. From 2000 to 2006, the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics also became available as individual reports, which can be downloaded from the SPACE website. Since 2007, they are only available as annual reports downloadable from the SPACE website (www.unil.ch/space).
From 1984 to 1991, they were called Statistics on penal populations in the member States of
the Council of Europe. In 1992, they were renamed as the Council of Europe Annual Penal
Statistics and became better known by the acronym SPACE (inspired by their French title
of Statistiques Pénales Annuelles du Conseil de l’Europe).
INTRODUCTION
From 1984 to 1991, the statistics included only information related to prison populations in Europe. In 1992, a series of questions on community sanctions and measures were introduced in the questionnaire used to collect the information. The answers to these questions were included as Part II of the reports. In 1997, they became a separate publication. Since then, the original series on prison populations have been known as SPACE I, and the series on community sanctions and measures as SPACE II. The frequency of the publication and the content of these two series have changed over the years. Currently, both series are published annually.
This study concerns data that are usually only published in the SPACE I report but, in order to streamline the reading of this research, we will refer to it as the SPACE report or simply as SPACE.
Definitions
This section includes the definitions of the main terms used throughout this study. The terms presented in italics can be found in the literature on prisons, but they have not been used systematically in this research because their definitions may vary across countries or because they are used only in some countries.
Average amount spent per day for the detention of one inmate: Corresponds to the average (i.e. arithmetic mean) amount of Euros spent per day by the prison administration for each inmate. This indicator must be interpreted cautiously because it is estimated by the countries and the way in which they are counted varies from country to country.
Average length of imprisonment based on the total number of days spent in penal institutions (in months): Corresponds to the average number of months that inmates spent in penal institutions during a given year. In the SPACE questionnaire, countries are asked to provide the total number of days spent in penal institutions. This figure refers to the total number of days spent in penal institutions by all persons who spent at least one day in custody in the reference year (2014). No distinction is made between periods of detention pending a court decision and time spent serving sentences, nor between other categories of inmates included in the total prison population, such as fine defaulters or persons held in administrative detention. This kind of information is normally prepared by the departments responsible for prison budgets and are used by the administrations to calculate the average daily cost of imprisonment.
By dividing the number of days spent in penal institutions by 365, one obtains the best possible estimate of the average number of inmates in a given year. Then, by dividing that estimate by the total number of entries (flow) during the same year, and multiplying the result by 12, one obtains the average length of imprisonment based in months.
It must be noted that in the SPACE reports, the number of entries used for the computation
corresponds to the one of the previous year, because it is put in relation with the prison
population rate, which corresponds to the situation on 1
stSeptember of the year of the report
and not on the last day of the year. However, in this study it was possible to use the flow for
INTRODUCTION
the previous year flow data (indicator based on stock and flow) and when it is calculated with data for the same year (indicator based on the total number of days spent in penal institutions).
Average length of imprisonment based on stock and flow (in months): Corresponds to the average number of months that inmates spent in penal institutions during a given year. It is calculated by dividing the stock of prisoners by the flow of entries and multiplying by 12. This formula is an adaption of the demographic model of the stationary population. In the SPACE I reports, the stock refers to the prison population on 1
stSeptember of a given year and the flow to the total number of entries during the previous year. In this study, they both refer to the same year.
Detainees: Inmates who have not received a final sentence.
Detention rate: See Prison population rate.
Entries into penal institutions: Corresponds to the number of entries into penal institutions (including entries in pre-trial detention) during a whole year (See Rate of entries into penal institutions for further details).
Flow: See Rate of entries into penal institutions.
Flow of entries: See Rate of entries into penal institutions.
Flow of exits: See Rate of releases from penal institutions Flow of releases: See Rate of releases from penal institutions Imprisonment rate: See Prison population rate.
Inmates: Persons deprived of freedom in penal institutions. A distinction can be made between those who have received a final sentenced (known as prisoners or sentenced prisoners) and those who have not (known as detainees, pre-trial detainees, remand prisoners, or prisoners in remand).
Median age of the prison population: The median is the value that divides the data supplied by the country into two equal groups so that 50% of the observations are above the median and 50% are below it. This means that half of the prison population is older than the median age and the other half is younger.
Mortality rate (per 10,000 inmates): Corresponds to the number of inmates who died in
prison during a whole year, per 10,000 inmates held in penal institutions at a given day of the
year. Pre-trial detainees are included. In the SPACE surveys it is estimated on the basis of the
inmates who died in prison during a full year and the number of inmates held in penal
institutions on 1
stSeptember of the previous year.
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Percentage of custodial staff among the total staff: Corresponds to the proportion of staff working in penal institutions who are dedicated solely to the custody of inmates (e.g.
perimeter guards).
Percentage of female inmates: Corresponds to the proportion of women among the total number of inmates (including pre-trial detainees).
Percentage of foreign inmates: Corresponds to the proportion of inmates who do not hold the nationality of the country in which they are deprived of freedom.
Percentage of foreigners among pre-trial detainees: Corresponds to the proportion of detainees who do not hold the nationality of the country in which they are held in pre-trial detention. By definition, the number of persons held in pre-trial detention (i.e. the detainees) should include all detainees without a final sentence (see Percentage of non-sentenced inmates). Thus, the percentage of foreigners among pre-trial detainees is also known as the percentage of foreigners without a final sentence. However, the reader must consider that some countries do not strictly follow the definition of detainees.
Percentage of foreigners without a final sentence: See Percentage of foreigners among pre- trial detainees.
Percentage of non-sentenced inmates: Corresponds to the proportion of inmates who are not serving a final sentence. In principle, this category includes (a) untried detainees (i.e. no court decision has been reached yet), (b) detainees found guilty but who have not received a sentence yet, (c) sentenced inmates who have appealed or who are within the statutory limit for doing so, and (d) detainees who have not received a final sentence yet, but who have started serving a prison sentence in advance. However, there are countries that exclude some of these categories (in particular, the sentenced inmates who have appealed or who are within the statutory limit for doing so) when counting the non-sentenced inmates.
Percentage of pre-trial detainees among foreign inmates: Corresponds to the proportion of detainees on remand (i.e. remanded in custody) among the total number of foreign inmates.
Percentage of suicides among inmates who died in prison: Corresponds to the proportion of inmates who committed suicide among the total number of inmates who died in penal institutions during a whole year.
Percentage of suicides in pre-trial detention among the total number of suicides:
Corresponds to the proportion of detainees who committed suicide among the total number of inmates who committed suicide during a whole year.
Pre-trial detainees: See Detainees.
Pre-trial detention: Deprivation of freedom in a penal institution before a final sentence has
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Preventive detention: In some countries (mainly in common law countries) it corresponds to a deprivation of freedom based on security reasons (for example, for dangerous offenders).
In other countries (mainly in countries that used Latin languages, such as Italian, French, Spanish, Catalan or Portuguese) it is a synonym of pre-trial detention. Due to this ambiguity, the term is not used in this report.
Prison population rate: Corresponds to the number of inmates (including pre-trial detainees) per 100 000 inhabitants of the country, as of 1
stSeptember of each year. This indicator is commonly known as the prison stock, or the stock of prisoners, and sometimes referred to as the detention rate, the prisoner rate, or the imprisonment rate. The Council of Europe has adopted the term prison population rate. The date of 1
stSeptember is preferred to 31
stDecember, because the number of inmates decreases artificially by the end of the year due to temporary releases that allow inmates to spend the holiday/Christmas period with his or her family.
Prison density (per 100 places): Corresponds to the number of inmates (including pre-trial detainees) per 100 places available in penal institutions. It is calculated by dividing the number of inmates by the number of places in penal institutions and multiplying the result by 100. A number higher than 100 indicates a situation of overcrowding (there are more inmates than places available for them). This indicator must be interpreted cautiously, because the number of places available is provided by the countries, and the way in which they are counted varies from country to country.
Prison stock: See Prison population rate.
Prisoner rate: See Prison population rate.
Prisoners: Inmates who have received a final sentence.
Prisoners in remand: See Detainees.
Provisional detention: See Pre-trial detention.
Rate of deaths per 10,000 inmates: Corresponds to the number of inmates who died in penal institutions during a whole year, per 10,000 inmates. It is calculated by dividing the number of deaths in penal institutions by the number of inmates (including pre-trial detainees), and then multiplying the result by 10,000.
Rate of entries: See Rate of entries into penal institutions
Rate of entries into penal institutions: Corresponds to the number of entries into penal
institutions (including entries in pre-trial detention) during a whole year, per 100 000
inhabitants of the country. This indicator is commonly known as the flow of entries or simply
the flow. The counting unit is the entry, while for the prison population rate the counting unit
is the person. The term entry refers to all entries into penal institutions, except entries
following transfer from one penal institution to another, or in order to appear before a judicial
INTRODUCTION
authority (e.g. investigating judge or trial court), or following a prison leave, a period of authorised absence, an escape, or after re-arrest by the police.
Rate of releases from penal institutions: Corresponds to the number of releases from penal institutions (including exits from pre-trial detention) during a whole year, per 100 000 inhabitants of the country. This indicator is commonly known as the flow of exits or flow of releases. The counting unit is the release, and the same restrictions explained for the rate of entries apply (e.g. the release should not refer to exits due to transfers from one penal institution to another, or in order to appear before a judicial authority, for a prison leave, a period of authorised absence, or an escape).
Ratio of inmates per staff: Corresponds to the number of inmates per one member of the staff of penal institutions. It is calculated by dividing the total number of inmates by the total number of staff working in penal institutions.
Remand: See Pre-trial detention.
Remand in custody: See Pre-trial detention.
Remand prisoners: See Detainees.
Sentenced prisoners: See Prisoners.
Stock of prisoners: See Prison population rate.
Suicide rate (per 10,000 inmates): Corresponds to the number of inmates who committed suicide in prison during a whole year, per 10,000 inmates held in penal institutions at a given day of the year. Pre-trial detainees are included. In the SPACE surveys, it is estimated on the basis of the inmates who committed suicide in prison during a full year and the number of inmates held in penal institutions on 1
stSeptember of the previous year.
Total budget spent by the prison administration: Corresponds to the total amount spent by the prison administration during a whole year, expressed in Euros.
Turnover ratio: The turnover ratio or estimated exit rate per 100 potential exits is defined as
the ratio between the number of prisoners released during one year and the number of
prisoners held in prison during the same year. The latter can be estimated by adding the
number of persons held in penal institutions at the end of the previous year (stock) and the
number of persons that entered into penal institutions during the year under study (flow of
entries). However, as stock data on 31
stDecember of the previous year are not available, the
number of prisoners held in penal institutions on 1
stSeptember of that year is used as a proxy.
INTRODUCTION
Methodology Data collection
Data for the SPACE report are collected by means of a questionnaire sent every year to the Prison Administrations of the member States of the Council of Europe. Thus, the SPACE project helped created an extensive European network of experts in the field of prisons. In each country, the national correspondents are highly qualified staff employed at the National and/or regional administrations. Permanent contacts and exchanges with them are enriched by the collaboration with many international bodies (e.g. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC, International Centre for Prison Studies ICPC, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction EMCDDA). Once the questionnaire is filled by the national correspondents, it is sent back to a team of experts of the University of Lausanne (UNIL), which undertakes a procedure of data validation that involves a multilevel counterchecking of the figures received.
However, some countries do not systematically answer the SPACE questionnaire, which means that there are years for which the information on those countries are either not available or incomplete. Moreover, both the questionnaire and the persons who fill it in for each country have changed over the years. Likewise, the way in which data are collected in some countries has also changed across time. As a consequence, it was not possible to establish the time series included in this study on the sole basis of the original SPACE reports.
In order to solve that issue, the UNIL research team compiled the data available for the main SPACE indicators from 2005 to 2015, and produced a country profile for each member State.
The latter included the information available for some key indicators and a series of questions that should help clarifying the way in which the data are collected (metadata), as well as the observed trends. The country profile document was sent to the national correspondents of each country, who were asked to fill the blanks, provide the metadata, and explain sudden changes in the observed trends. Then, a two-days meeting with the SPACE I national correspondents took place in Strasbourg, in the month of March 2017.
Forty-one participants from 33 Council of Europe member States, representing 35 prison administrations, took part in the meeting. This provided both the national correspondents who attended the meeting and the UNIL research team with the opportunity of discussing the country profiles personally. After the meeting, most of the correspondents provided revised series for many of the indicators, which are the ones included in this study. It must be mentioned from the beginning, however, that there are still some missing values in the database, because some correspondents did not send the revised data and others were unable to provide the data, or at least a part of them, because the information required was not available.
The following prison administrations did not provide any revised data: Andorra, Bosnia and
Herzegovina (State level), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina),
Estonia, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovenia,
Northern Ireland, and Ukraine. However, in the case of Greece, it was possible to find some
of the missing data in a series of documents that were kindly transmitted to us by Prof.
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Nikolaos K. Koulouris. Finally, in the case of Slovenia, the national correspondent informed us that there were no modifications to introduce to the data already collected and that the missing data were not available.
Table 1.1 summarizes the information on the prison administrations that were represented at the meeting in Strasbourg and the ones that sent a revised version of the country profile document.
Table 1.1. Participation in the study
Country
Participation in the national correspondents
meeting Name of the correspondent who
attended the meeting Data updated by the
national correspondent Name of the correspondent who
updated the data
Albania x Blerina GJERAZI x Blerina GJERAZI
Andorra
x
Carles OFERIL PRECIADO Jamaica ARTUÑEDO MOURIÑO
Armenia x Kristina KHACHATRYAN x Kristina KHACHATRYAN
Austria x Christian MÜLLER x Christian MÜLLER
Azerbaijan x Javidan NAZAROV x Javidan NAZAROV
Belgium x Samuel DELTENRE x Samuel DELTENRE
BH: Bosnia and Herzegovina (State level) BH: Fed. Bosnia and Herzegovina
BH: Republika Srpska x Duško ŠAIN
Bulgaria x Rumena BLIZNAKOVA x Rumena BLIZNAKOVA
Croatia x Marija OSTOJIĆ x Marija OSTOJIĆ
Cyprus x Georgia IOANNOU
Czech Republic x Iva PRUDLOVÁ x Iva PRUDLOVÁ
Denmark x Susanne HILDEBRANDT x Susanne HILDEBRANDT
Estonia
Finland x Marja-Liisa MUILUVUORI x Marja-Liisa MUILUVUORI
France
x
Annie KENSEY
Marie-Noëlle COMIN x
Annie KENSEY Marie-Noëlle COMIN
Georgia x Nodar KAPANADZE x Nodar KAPANADZE
Germany x Bert GOETTING
Greece x Ioannis LAMBRAKIS (x) See the comments below
Hungary x András RADVÁNSZKI x András RADVÁNSZKI
Iceland x Hafdís GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR x Hafdís GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR
Ireland x Alan CALLAGHAN x Alan CALLAGHAN
Italy x Andrea BECCARINI x Andrea BECCARINI
Latvia x Kristine KIPENA x Kristine KIPENA
Liechtenstein
Lithuania x Rita STARKUVIENE
Luxembourg x Laurent MEYERS x Laurent MEYERS
Malta x Nigel BRUNO
Moldova x Vladimir COJOCARU x Vladimir COJOCARU
Monaco Montenegro
Netherlands x Joost DE LOOFF
Norway x Gerhard PLOEG x Gerhard PLOEG
Poland x Aleksandra ROGOWSKA x Aleksandra ROGOWSKA
Portugal x Jose SEMEDO MOREIRA
Romania x Mariana COMAN x Mariana COMAN
Russian Federation x Aleksandra SAMARINA
San Marino
Serbia (Republic of) x Snježana TRAVAR x Snježana TRAVAR
Slovak Republic x Peter KRIŠKA x Peter KRIŠKA
Slovenia x Robert FRIŠKOVEC (x) See the comments below
Spain (Total) x Jesús NÚÑEZ PEÑA x Rosa RODRIGUEZ DIAZ
Spain (State Administration) x Jesús NÚÑEZ PEÑA x Rosa RODRIGUEZ DIAZ
Spain (Catalonia) x Eulalia LUQUE x Eulalia LUQUE
Sweden x Dan ANDERSSON
Switzerland x Daniel LAUBSCHER x Daniel LAUBSCHER
the FYRO Macedonia x Jasmenka DONCHEVSKA x Jasmenka DONCHEVSKA
Turkey x Pelin DALKILIÇ x Pelin DALKILIÇ
UK: England and Wales x Alvin AUBEELUCK
UK: Northern Ireland x Johanna MCCAUGHEY
UK: Scotland x Elizabeth FRASER x Elizabeth FRASER
INTRODUCTION
Data comparability
The Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics, SPACE, aim to produce comparable data for the different member States of the Council of Europe. However, any comparisons of the levels (in rates, ratios and percentages) shown by the countries according to different indicators are always problematic and must be conducted very cautiously. This is due to the fact that the way in which data are collected in different countries varies from country to country. For that reason, the SPACE surveys include questions on the way in which data are collected (usually known as metadata) in each country, which can help explain some artificial differences between countries. In the following paragraphs, we present the main methodological problems related to the comparison of the indicators included in this study.
Persons included in the prison population
In the case of the prison population rate, some differences in the number of persons held in penal institutions may be due to fact that countries do not include the same categories of inmates. In particular, the following categories are included in some countries but excluded in others:
1. Persons held in police stations or other similar types of investigative institutions before trial
These persons are excluded in most countries, but included in the following:
- Cyprus - Georgia - Montenegro - San Marino - Switzerland
2. Persons held in custodial institutions/units for juvenile offenders
These persons are included in most countries, but excluded in the following:
- Belgium - Bulgaria - Italy
- Netherlands - Spain - Sweden
The question is not applicable (i.e. these institutions do not exist) in these countries:
- Andorra - Finland - Iceland - Poland
3. Persons placed in educational institutions/units for juvenile offenders These persons are excluded in most countries, but included in the following:
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Switzerland
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- Turkey
- UK: Northern Ireland
In addition, in Italy, Portugal, and Spain, juvenile offenders are managed by other authorities than the Prison Administration. In Cyprus, Norway, and Sweden, the definition of juvenile offender and the special regime applied to this category of offenders have some particularities which should be taken into account when making cross-sectional comparisons (see the SPACE reports for additional information).
4. Persons held in institutions for drug-addicted offenders outside penal institutions These persons are excluded in most countries, but included in the following:
- Malta - Spain
5. Persons with psychiatric disorders in psychiatric institutions or hospitals outside penal institutions (e.g. persons considered as non-criminally liable by the court, persons under security measures, etc.)
These persons are excluded in most countries, but included in the following:
- Austria - Belgium - Georgia - Ireland - Italy - Malta - Monaco - Portugal
6. Asylum seekers or illegal aliens held for administrative reasons
These persons are excluded in most countries, but included in the following:
- Azerbaijan - Belgium - Germany - Ireland - Switzerland
- UK: England and Wales - UK: Northern Ireland - UK: Scotland
7. Persons held in private facilities (e.g. private prisons, detention centres, centres for the application of certain penal measures [e.g. centres for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, centres for the treatment of addictions etc.])
These persons are excluded in most countries, but included the following:
- Finland - Germany
- UK: England and Wales
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